Trump Officials Fire, Swiftly Rehire, Overseers of U.S. Nuclear Stockpile

Trump administration officials on Friday began rescinding termination notices given just 24 hours earlier to more than 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, according to CNN, with sources telling the outlet that those in charge apparently were unaware that the NNSA manages the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

“No one has taken any time to understand what we do and the importance of our work to the nation’s national security,” one source said.

Another source said, “The nuclear deterrent is the backbone of American security and stability—period. For there to be any even very small holes poked even in the maintenance of that deterrent should be extremely frightening to people.”

NNSA employs 1,800 people. Acting administrator Teresa Robbins said Friday she had been instructed to rescind the terminations of probationary employees, and that their access to internal networks and IT services would be restored.

Energy Department officials stipulated that listed reasons for firings were to be poor performance, though two HR administrators resigned in protest on Friday.

The Energy Department told CNN that it “will continue its critical mission of protecting our national security and nuclear deterrence in the development, modernization, and stewardship of America’s atomic weapons enterprise, including the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nonproliferation.”

Some of the most recent layoffs across the federal government occurred Friday in the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agriculture Department, and even the U.S. DOGE Service, which had been known in prior administrations as the U.S. Digital Service.